All About OTB Junior
A Conversation with Ally and Melissa
Growing an independent bookstore is a team effort. Read on for a behind the scenes look at what goes into curating our ideal kids bookshop in this conversation between shop founder Ally Kirkpatrick and book buyer Melissa LaSalle.
Every book in its place.
Children’s book expert Melissa LaSalle, aka @thebookmommy, organizes the picture book section at Old Town Books.
Ally: Melissa, thank you so much for hopping on the blog with me to talk about our exciting new project here at the bookstore - our growing kids and young teen section! What was it like when I first told you about the big expansion?
Melissa: When you first called me to tell me we had the opportunity to push into the space next store, I screamed (sorry about that). Then I started pacing around my house, which is what I do when I get excited about something. You and I had talked about this idea years ago, when I first came to work at the store, but I don’t know if I let myself actually believe it would happen. But look at us, we’re doing it!
Ally: We really are! We have always been hard pressed to fit all of the amazing kids and young teen titles you’ve wanted to stock in our current section. Can you tell us about your strategy for the layout at the new shop?
Melissa: Ah, yes. You have been very patient with my efforts over the years to push the limits on what our current kids section can hold (even if sometimes I’m downright stealing display space from other sections). I think we’ve done an amazing job of packing in a huge amount of inventory into a tiny space. But it also doesn’t make it easy for folks to browse, so first and foremost I’m excited to give our different sections some breathing room. Lots of faced-out titles! Lots of mini themed displays! Lots of opportunities for discovery. I’m excited that we’re also adding a seating nook for young readers, so they can read the first few pages of a book before deciding whether or not to buy it.
First and foremost I’m excited to give our different sections some breathing room.
I’m super picky about what new releases I choose for the store. I preview almost everything before I commit to buying it and I don’t see that changing, even with more space. What you WILL see is a lot more backlist (older titles). We’ll finally have the room to carry more than the first title in a favorite series. We’ll be able to carry more favorite picture books and more favorite middle grade books, including titles I blogged about years ago and still hold so much appeal for today’s kids. We’re going to have a lot more room for early reader titles, because I want kids who are just embarking on the independent reading journey to feel empowered and excited by our selection.
Finally, one of the things that more space will allow us to do is break out our middle-grade section into two distinct ages: 8-12 and 10-14. In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in what is referred to as “upper middle grade”--that is, books intended for middle schoolers who aren’t quite ready for the increasingly mature content of today’s YA. In our current space, these books get folded in with those targeting the elementary years, and it can be hard for kids and parents to make sense of these distinctions. In the new space, we’ll have a Young Teens section, which will combine 10-14 middle grade with some of the younger (12+) YA titles. If we are going to keep our newly-crowned teens reading for pleasure, we’ve got to give them a section that’s just for them!
If we are going to keep our newly-crowned teens reading for pleasure, we’ve got to give them a section that’s just for them!
Ally: Anything totally new that you’re particularly excited about stocking?
Melissa: Manga! This is something we get asked about almost daily, and I’m determined that we’ll have some to offer in the new space! It makes total sense that kids who’ve devoured nearly every graphic novel out there would want to dip their toes in the world of manga for more visual storytelling. I’ve been making careful notes about what my own daughter and her friends have enjoyed, and I also spent quite a few hours chatting with manga booksellers in the UK last summer. Manga can be hard to navigate for parents, as it veers into adult maturity very quickly (yet looks deceptively innocent from the cover), so I’m excited to help with careful curation here.
Manga can be hard to navigate for parents, as it veers into adult maturity very quickly (yet looks deceptively innocent from the cover), so I’m excited to help with careful curation here.
Ally: What has it been like working on the design for the new store? I think we compliment each other in that I’m the dreamer, you’re the realist. What has the new store design process been like from your perspective? I’ve been really focused on the visual impact, the feel, the aesthetic and brand choices. Tell us what matters to you as a book buyer?
Melissa: It has been a dream come true to collaborate so closely with you on the design for the new space, and I’m positively giddy about where we’ve landed. You have such a gift for aesthetics. I think the main store speaks for itself in that regard, so that has freed me up to advocate for maximizing shelf footage. A gallery wall is beautiful, but how can we fit as many books as possible on it? Where can spinner racks go? Where can we sneak in an extra shelving unit, or five? WHY IS THAT TREE TAKING UP SO MUCH OF MY BOOKSHELF SPACE? (Just kidding.) The tree installation is going to be insanely cool, and you’ve been right to fight for signature design pieces that will really help distinguish our space.
Ally: Haha thank you for that, I do agree we have both been very diplomatic about compromising on how we combine aesthetics and function. Now that we’ve talked some about the new store, can you tell readers about yourself? How did you get into book buying?
Melissa: I’ve been involved in various facets of children’s publishing for nearly 30 years. When I lived in Chicago pre-kids, I jumped ship after several years at an advertising firm and landed at a children’s boutique that sold clothing, classic toys, and a small selection of books, mainly because it reminded me of the kids bookstore where I had worked during a gap year before college. It won’t come as a surprise to you that the book section quickly grew to eclipse a third of the store, and that’s where I first fell in love with book buying.
Ally: How do you keep track of all these books! What’s your secret for staying on top of what’s new in the world of kit lit?
Melissa: If you asked my husband, he would tell you that my organization strategy entails piles of books across every horizontal surface of our house, so maybe I should plead the fifth on this question? I do keep running lists of upcoming display titles, which I add to as I write my orders; I read all the trade reviews (though I’ll be honest that I don’t always think they’re written with actual kids in mind); I have my bookstagram sources; I follow authors that I like on social media. Mainly, I spend a lot of time with the frontlist (forthcoming titles) catalogs. I read as much as I can digitally before committing, and I try to remember that I’ve been doing this for a long, long time and that counts for good instincts. When I feel pressured to carry something because everyone is talking about it and I didn’t actually like it, I think, well, Ally hired me for my POV and that’s what I’m going to stick with.
I try to remember that I’ve been doing this for a long, long time and that counts for good instincts.
Ally: That’s exactly right! What’s your favorite part about being a children’s book buyer? What’s the toughest part?
Melissa: You know the adrenaline you get when you come home with a stack of new books for yourself? That’s the same rush I get every time I order new books for the store! There’s nothing better than previewing a picture book and immediately thinking about a dozen specific customers who are going to love it. (The only problem is that this doesn’t keep me from still buying way too many books for myself.)
The toughest part, especially at a time when publishers are pulling back on initial print runs because of things like the escalating costs of paper, is gauging how deep to go on an initial order for a new release that I love. On the one hand, we don’t want to carry the financial load of excess inventory; on the other hand, we don’t want to pull the trigger on reordering a book that came out a few weeks ago, only to discover it has gone into a three-month reprint because it was so popular right out of the gate and now we don’t have it to sell.
I’ll also add that another big challenge as a book buyer is weighing my own love of a book against whether it will actually sell. As much as I may personally love a beautiful picture book biography, or something about a specific cultural tradition, or a creative presentation of climate change, these aren’t books that sell particularly well for us. I might bring in one or two, but I can’t devote too much precious real estate to them, even if every part of me wants to scream, YOU NEED THESE (she says, packing up Earth Day books!)
Ally: There’s so much more we could talk about regarding book buying and the new kids store, but what’s one thing I missed? What parting words do you have for readers of our blog?
Melissa: Thinking up fun ways to get kids excited about reading has always been my jam, and a bigger space will mean we’ll get to do more events, especially with authors. I’m working on pitching publishers for fall events right now, and if we get some of the ones on our wishlist, our young customers are going to be in for a real treat!
Finally, while we’re obviously excited for what’s to come, there’s still a ton of amazing discoveries to be found in our current section. I’m working hard to finalize this year’s Summer Reading Guide, and it’s going to be our BEST YET!
Stay tuned for more details about Old Town Books Junior, opening in September 2024!
Melissa LaSalle is the creative force behind our stellar children’s section here at Old Town Books. You can also follow her on Instagram @thebookmommy, and on her blog www.whattoreadtoyourkids.com!